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In the far future a mutation develops and humankind is split into Simes and Gens. Simes "change over" at adolescence into vampire-like creatures that must suction off energy from Gens every month. Ordinarily, this causes the death of the Gen. But then "Channels" are discovered who could safely take energy from Gens and give that energy to Simes. Digen Farris is a channel with an injury that keeps him from functioning as one, but does allow him to take training as a surgeon, a lost art among Simes. And then he meets this Gen... Both Lichtenberg and Lorrah who write books in this series are both good storytellers and create characters to care about. And since each book was written to be read independently, this one can stand alone. ( )

Digen Farris is an exquisitely overtrained channel with a crippling injury that makes it impossible to perform the high-volume work for which he was trained, transferring/channeling selyn between Gens and Simes. (Simes and Gens are complementary human mutations; in adolescence, one either becomes Sime or Gen, consuming or producing selyn.) So he decides to become the first, and only, Sime surgeon (psychic sensitivity making it too difficult for ordinary Simes to perform surgery). But, because of the death of every other Sime in his immediate family, he’s also the leader of Zeor, a key House in the Tecton (which manages channels), and he still has the needs of a high-functioning channel, in a system that is rapidly losing the ability to fulfill the needs of such channels. In his medical training, he faces discrimination from the Gens who fear losing an area of expertise to Simes (since Simes are faster, stronger, and don’t need as much sleep), on top of the basic Gen fear that Simes will kill them for their selyn. In essence, Digen is the woobiest woobie ever, and he meets a woman who’s his perfect match for producing selyn, which means they're destined to be mates—except that she’s the leader of a rebel House that doesn’t believe in putting channels in between Simes and Gens, and thus if he takes transfer from her he'll be condemned to die by attrition. It’s complicated, and epic, and I remember how fun it was when I was a teenager even though I feel it less now. If you miss the kind of books that have glossaries and appendices at the end explaining various technical aspects of selyn production and transfer that were too arcane even for an infodump, then go for it! Or, you know, if you like superwoobies. ( )

In the far future, the human race is divided into Sime and Gen, just as it is into male and female. Simes must take energy from Gens each month to live, and in most areas, Simes and Gens live together peaceably. But if the Gen fears when a Sime attacks...then the Gen dies, and the Sime becomes addicted to the kill. Simes called Channels stand between ordinary "Rensimes" and the kill...but the pressures placed upon a working channel may stress Digen Farris to the breaking point. What will a person sacrifice for love, or for duty? ( )